One of the most important elements not really discussed here but crucial to everything Omar did on this piece is his continual ongoing hi hat groove! It’s part of what makes everything Omar ever plays flows like a sure river! It also creates a pad of syncopation for him to blow over the top of without ever losing any forward motion! It’s part of his signature sound. Tony Williams is another example especially in his later years of hard hitting, he went from just two and four to four on the hi hat, again creating super forward flow! Thanks man for doing a video on this particular groove and what Omar played here and how to approach it!! 👍🏼😬
I bought this video when it first came out in the 80’s and It blew my mind when I saw him play it. To this day I think it is one of the most incredible solos out there and it still blows my mind and is one of the reasons he is in my top 5 drummers of all time.
This solo was the main reason I quit trying to play professionally. You do a good job of playing the gist of the song but Omar goes off on another level. Pure genius!
WHAT MAKES IT SO HARD IS THAT OMAR IS A BADASS. HE EXECUTED THAT FROM THE DEEPEST PORES OF HIS DRUMMING SOUL. COULD YOU NOT SEE THE GRIN ON HIS FACE. HE WAS OUT OF BODY AND INTO THE UNIVERSE. AALWAYS GIVING THE DRUMMER SOME.
I I love the new space brother and everything you say is right spot on keep it up. You make it easier for us to become better musicians, I met you one time when you were leaving the Drum space on 2nd Ave. in 15Th St. I’m chuck.
Brilliant vid! Omar has always been killing it, but this recording was life changing for so many of us watching in real time. So deserving of this breakdown, and for anyone who hasn't watched the movie yet... Get on it!
I love this channel because I love jazz drummers. I play keys & bass, 1985 was the year I graduated HS and dove headlong into fusion, then jazz thx to my Philosophy teacher and THIS SOLO. It didn't last for me - I grew up playing classical piano and never really learned to swing. But I still love listening and playing w jazz drummers when I can. I even bought an Omar Hakim MIDI pack just so I could study his technique. That's my idea of fun.
Great analysis and job man. Part of the magic of Omar's performance is the intensity, the showmanship, the synergy n joy with the music from that megaband. I saw the gig at NEC Birmingham maybe in 82, was incredible.
Maybe the greatest modern pop combo of all time? I thought I understood this song until this video LOL. Always keep the melody in the head. Omar subbed for Neil Peart in Rush at the Taylor Hawkins tribute, truly a GOAT.
Hi Nate, I’ve been subscribed for nearly a year and a while ago I wrote something mean on one of your videos and I just want to say I apologise and your drumming and content is amazing. Thank you.
I was lucky enough to see this band in concert at the Ritz on E 11th in NYC back in ‘85. I think it was a very early gig for them and probably before the record release. I was a Police fan and I’d met Omar a couple of times at the Sam Ash on Queens Boulevard, so I was stoked but unsure of what to expect. They opened with Roxanne, and 🤯🤯🤯 for the rest of the night. Great vid, Nate.
Anita Baker's "Giving you the best that I got" came on the radio the other day and I thought for sure it was Vinnie, but it turns out it was Omar. Plays perfectly for the tune. And of course he blazes solos. Cheers!
Love your playing, and especially your subject in this video. One of the underrated gems that helped open my eyes as a drummer to new levels of fluidity on the drums. Omar's like a jazzy octopus! Anyway, have you considered changing your ride cymbal in order to help bring out the articulation and musicality in your playing? I feel like your overly bright, washy ride diminishes the articulation and dynamic responsiveness in your playing, and doesn't do it justice. I'm a cymbal connoisseur (and addict), perhaps a Meinl Vintage Pure Light ride (like Matt Garstka) Benny Greb Sand Ride, or dark and dirty K Constantinople, etc. Just a thought. Thanks again for highlighting this treasure.
I personally think that only Omar Hakim can handle and understand this crescendo: there's no change on the background melody when talking about keyboards (Kenny Kirkland, RIP), Sting picking the fretless double bass, Darryl Jones joining later on the electric bass playing the same melody, that have nothing to do with jazz. So who are making the difference? Branford Marsalis on sax and Omar Hakim. We cannot forget that Omar played with many renown pop/rock bands and musicians at the time while having his roots in jazz. He's probably the more qualified drummer to play this solo: it's a perfect mix of his "battles" with Joe Zawinul in Weather Report and a total drum solo at a 150% like the ones he used to play altogether with Herbie Hancock/Stanley Clarke/Wayne Shorter.
When you are the first name on the team sheet for Sting, Bowie and Kate Bush you know you’re doing something right. A cut above this one and years ago I thought jazz was a departure from rock but it was the other way around and Sting’s roots are jazz and it was The Police which was the departure. Regardless of genre Sting has played with some of the world’s greatest drummers Stewart Copeland, Omar Hakim, Manu Katche, Vinnie C, Jack DeJohnette and even Josh Freese, one of the greatest punk drummers of all time.
Is that Gorka’s Patio Estudio in Gracia?! Love that place and that man, spent so much good time there, both rehearsing and recording! Excellent video btw, love Omar and your playing here! Say hi to Gorka for me! Love Marko ❤
The thing with players like that, and I recall you did a video on this, is they do this level of playing, and it looks effortless. And they probably just made it up in minutes while working on the song. Or maybe improvised it but can either play that or something else just as great the next time they do the song. While others have to really work at playing it.
'I Burn for You' was originally written by Sting for the soundtrack to a film he starred in called 'Brimstone and Treacle' , an adaptation of Dennis Potter's play of the same name, back in 1982. Sting recorded the track at Pinewood studios with Stewart Copeland on drums and Andy Summers on guitar so it's actually more Stewart Copeland's drum pattern than Omar's. Omar Hakim took the original drum pattern and jazz-ified it. This is not to dismiss Hakim's masterly drumming, he remains one of the all time greats. The original recording can be found on The Police's Greatest Hits disc 4 and is very different to the Blue Turtles version.
loved the video! i was wondering if you had any thoughts about zach hill’s drumming in the band HELLA? specifically their Hold Your Horse Is. he has talked about free jazz being a huge influence. i’ve been watching your videos for a few years now and would love to hear your opinion!
Thank you Nate, my most favourite solo, possibly the most exciting passage of live music for me. I've always wondered however, it seems that the time keeping transfers from Omar to Kenny Kirkland back and forward during the solo, it creates a tension during this part. Is it me? Or is that actually happening.
i wouldn't bother myself with playing anything complicated with the hihat, before i manage to make the kick sound consistent, velocity wise and timing wise.
Love this video but it would be sweet if you could get the isolated drums tracks from Bring On The Night... Know anyone who knows anyone who knows Sting or Miles Copeland?
Hey Nate...I have a good idea for you for your next, "could I do the gig video". The drummer who recorded the chon records, Brian Evans, has been talking mad shit about you. You should learn one of their tunes, and upload it.
Love it dude. I have greenish colored Yamaha stage customs. I’ve heard them since forever. I like that color. Not the green but the ones your using. We’re so cool. With our drums and grappling and kickboxing. I think we might be brothers. Or your maybe my dad.
I saw this tour at The Albert Hall in London - It's a shame the film was done on the first night (Paris), Omar opened up his solo more as the tour went on. I recorded it on a walkman so the quality is poor. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Z04Wz2A2X10.html
Man I was hoping that you would teach us the main part of the solo where he really let his body flow hitting the cymbals. The sound of this recording is not very good and I cannot hear what he really does on the snare and bass drum. The only things we can hear are the cymbals and hh... and the amazing shape he forms with his body. It's like he is really dancing, like Fred Astaire, so loose.
Great video, Nate. One of my all-time favorites. I recommend people listen to the original recording/ source material from the Police. Stewart Copeland does some awesome overdubs that make it burn. I count it in 6/8 which makes the subdivisions easier to internalize. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-NQtIRrmhvBw.html
Gracia, Barcelona, around Placa de la Vila. The studio is on St. Lluis, nearby. Totally off-topic, but it remains weird to see a tuber you follow suddenly play from the same studio I practiced in for years! Still the same crackfixed cymbals I see. I'd love to have casually walked into Nate around there, ha
Another great vid, Omar Hakim is such a beast! I've (tried to) "borrow" so many of his ideas from the album Beyond Words, like this: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-XKROJa_HoAg.html
I have a challenge song for "could I do the gig" -- Eddie Henderson, "Kumquat Kids", here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-g9_zIQ_8SNY.html
